FAQ
What is hanging weight?
Hanging weight is the weight of the animal after it has been slaughtered, the skin, blood and entrails have been removed and it has been hung for 10-21 days. Hanging weight is approximately 60% of live weight. The weight of the actual meat you take home is called dressed weight. The amount of dressed meat you get varies depending on how you get it butchered. Deboning and grinding typically lower the dressed weight. Dressed weight is approximately 40% of live weight. All of our prices are based on hanging weight.
What is the difference between a side and a split side?
When you purchase our beef, you request either a whole, a side or a split side.
A whole animal is the largest quantity and is typically 500-600 pounds hanging. You get all the meat from one steer.
A side is half of a steer, typically 250-300 pounds hanging.
We also offer split sides. A split side is when all the meat from one side of a steer is divided in half, typically 125-150 pounds hanging. When butchering a split side, both customers must coordinate their cuts.
How much freezer space do I need?
Obviously the answer to this question depends on a lot of variables including the cuts requested. We find the easiest way to get a general idea is by visualizing ‘laundry baskets’ of meat. A whole animal will fill approximately eight baskets, a side will fill four and a split side will fill two.
Are you Certified Organic?
No, we are not Certified Organic at this time. Until our farm is producing a large quantity of meat, it is not possible to pay certification fees and still offer our products at a reasonable price. We encourage anyone to come out and visit our farm to see how our animals are treated and raised. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you have about our farm practices.
What is the difference between free run, free range & pastured eggs/chicken?
Free run chicken and eggs are the most common. This is what you would buy from the grocery store. It means that the chickens are not confined to cages. Free run birds are not permitted to be outdoors and usually are not exposed to natural light. Free range means that the chickens are allowed some access to outdoors, but generally spend the majority of their time indoors. All Certified Organic eggs and chicken come from free range operations. We consider our chicken and eggs ‘pastured’ this means that the majority of the birds time is spend outside on fresh pasture (grass). The meat chickens are kept in chicken tractors that are moved daily. The laying hens are kept in a coop in the winter with access to outside at all times. In the summer, they are moved out to the pasture with the cattle in a mobile coop where they have unrestricted access to pasture and are protected from predators. All our chickens are fed Certified Organic feed from a local feed mill.
Is your grass-fed beef considered organic?
Our cattle is not fed any grain on our farm. They are given alfalfa pellets as a treat occasionally. They are not fed any GMO products. Our beef is not considered organic under the Canadian organic standards because we buy some of our young animals from non-organic farms and our hay/alfalfa pellets are not Certified Organic. We still use no chemicals on our pastures which comprise the majority of their diet.
